Wool) — The Court of Castle Chamber or Star Chamber of Ireland. 159 



high-handed proceedings of the Anglo-Irish nobility that Poynings' Law was 

 passed, forbidding any bill to be submitted to the Irish Parliament which 

 had not first been approved of by the King. In 1586 the Solicitor-General 

 of Ireland wrote to Burghley : " We here are glad to plead for all the poor 

 complainants in the Castle Chamber without fees, otherwise the poor subject 

 should be oppressed with countenance." Thus the Court did not hesitate to 

 condemn the members of the nobility or high ecclesiastics when it saw fit, 

 whether in cases brought against them by their poorer countrymen, or in 

 cases of disloyalty against the Crown. The Bishop of Leighlin was fined 

 £20 and imprisoned for eight days for uttering words against the Lord 

 Deputy in 1593-4 1 ; and about the same time even the Attorney-General 

 himself was ordered to be tried in the Court of Castle Chamber. Lord 

 Inchiquin, too, was fined £500 Irish and imprisoned for harbouring a Jesuit 

 in 1616. But a Court which was instituted as a protection for the poor 

 against the rich, and which was mainly so till the end of Elizabeth's reign, 

 took on a different complexion with the advent of the Stuarts. By virtue of 

 their prerogative they utilized this Court as an instrument for forcing upon 

 their subjects a policy which they detested. In the reign of James 1 in 

 Ireland the Court devoted much of its time to prosecuting those who refused 

 to take the oath of supremacy, and jurors who refused to present against the 

 recusants. It usurped the functions of the High Commission Court, and 

 was taunted with being a " Spiritual Consistory." 



In mentioning above the various Commissions which were issued for 

 holding this Court, it was stated that the Commissioners had the right of 

 calling to their assistance such Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and such Privy 

 Councillors or Justices of any of the benches, as they should think meet to 

 summon. We accordingly often find that the Lord Primate and Bishop of 

 Meath were present ; but the presence of officials such as the Treasurer at 

 Wars, the Master of the Ordnance, the Vice-President of Munster, the 

 Marshal of the Army, and the Secretary of the Council is difficult to explain, 

 unless they were present as Privy Councillors. 



The Commissioners, with their associates, were given full power to hear 

 and determine all bills, complaints, supplications, and informations touching 

 riots, &c, just as such offences were heard in the Star Chamber in England, 

 and could call before them all misdemeanours. The Court was empowered 

 to punish " by fines to our use, ymprisonm' & otherwise after their 

 demeritts & according to your discreations " ; but they never inflicted the 

 capital penalty. They also were authorized " to taxe and cesse to our use 



^gmont Papers, vol. i, pt. 1, p. 25 (Hist MSS. Com.). 



R.I.A. PHOC, VOL. XXXII., SECT. C. [25] 



